Popcorn for Food Storage
Have you ever heard of popcorn for food storage? For those of you who have already been stockpiling food for emergencies, let me ask you something. Have you ever thought about storing popcorn in your pantry for your family to have on hand during a crisis? If not, you should definitely consider it. Not only is popcorn a healthy snack that can be enjoyed in a number of ways, but it’s also a non-perishable food item that has more unique uses than you may realize. Keep reading to learn more about popcorn and why you need to start stocking up on it today! Popcorn: Everything You Need To Know
Popcorn has an Indefinite Shelf Life
Despite what the expiration date says on the packaging, as long as you store your popcorn in an airtight container and keep it away from moisture and direct sunlight storage conditions, it should last you for many years. Storing it in a cool dry place in plastic containers makes much more sense than in bags.
The unpopped popcorn kernels have a tough shell which helps to keep them from going bad and also from vermin getting into them. The unpopped kernels are a great food option for long-term food storage since they can last indefinitely and stay edible. While expired popcorn may not pop as well or be as fluffy as fresh kernels when popped, it’s still perfectly safe to eat.
Popcorn is Cheap
Another reason to get your hands on a large supply of popcorn is that it’s not going to cost you too much. Popcorn is one of the cheapest snacks out there and you can purchase a large quantity without having to spend a fortune. A large tub of popcorn will only cost you anywhere between $6 and $10 and save you money over servings of other food storage items.
Takes Up Little Storage Space
Besides the benefit of costing you very little out of pocket, popcorn takes up very little space when stored, so it’s easy to fit in your pantry or storage area. Plus, you don’t even have to buy pre-made popcorn, popping it yourself can be a fun family activity. Hearing that popcorn pop in the kitchen as you prepare to watch a movie has been a tradition in American families for a long time. We tend to put too much butter on our warm popcorn turning it into yellow popcorn.
Nutrition Benefits of Popcorn
In addition to its long shelf life, non-perishable nature, and being a tasty treat, popcorn offers impressive health benefits as well. Popcorn is considered to be 100% whole grain, which means it’s full of vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, potassium, and thiamin. It also contains more fiber than most other snacks while being low in calories, depending on how much butter you put on yours. Eating popcorn can help to reduce cholesterol levels, lower blood sugar levels and even prevent certain types of cancer. With that said, all these nutrients make popcorn an ideal snack choice for maintaining good health, especially during an emergency situation.
Popcorn is Gluten-Free
Do you know someone who is allergic to gluten? If you’re looking for a gluten-free snack to have on hand in your pantry, popcorn is it. As long as you check the labels and make sure there are no added ingredients that contain wheat or gluten, then your popcorn should be safe for those with celiac disease or sensitivity to wheat. So it’s safe to say that popcorn is a great go-to snack whenever you have guests or the neighbor kids over. How To Make An Easy Gluten-Free Bread
A Versatile Snack
Popcorn is an incredibly versatile snack that can be enjoyed in multiple ways. You can add different seasonings and ingredients to make unique flavors or simply enjoy the classic version with salt as-is. Even if you don’t have butter on hand for topping your popcorn, you can still enjoy it by adding olive oil or coconut oil instead for added flavor and crunchiness. And while this may sound a bit strange to you, popcorn tastes great in cookies, homemade bread, and even mixed with your breakfast eggs! Sometimes people use popcorn for breading fried chicken, or as a substitute for croutons on their salad.
It Can be Ground into Flour
Hey, I told you popcorn was versatile! So, if you’re ever in a pinch and there’s no flour around, you can always use popcorn. Would it surprise you if I told you that popcorn flour tastes great when making cornbread? But you don’t have to take my word for it. During WWII, when wheat was in short supply, people would take 25% popcorn kernel flour mixed with 75% wheat flour to help stretch their ingredients. Talk about clever. Just keep in mind that you should only grind what you plan on using because once popcorn has been ground, the shelf-life is dramatically shortened. Popcorn for food storage really comes in handy when you know it can also be of use for flour. 13 Surprising Uses for Flour
Popcorn Has Many Unconventional Uses
Besides being a tasty snack, popcorn is also an excellent choice for survival purposes. Popcorn can be used as a tinder for starting fires. The inner kernel can easily catch fire from a spark and help start a strong flame. Additionally, you can use popcorn to de-shell other grains such as beans or rice. You can simply run the grains through a sieve with popcorn inside, and the kernels will separate the husks from the grains. And if you have an abundance of it, popcorn can be helpful in making all sorts of arts and crafts with the kids.
FAQs on Popcorn for Food Storage
Is popcorn good for long-term storage?
Popcorn can be a good option for long-term storage because it has low moisture content and can last for years when stored properly. It is important to store popcorn in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from light, heat, and humidity to prevent it from having a stale taste or spoiling. Additionally, it’s a good idea to rotate your popcorn stock periodically to ensure that you’re consuming the oldest kernels first.
Can you use oxygen absorbers with popcorn kernels?
It is said that you should never use oxygen absorbers to store popcorn kernels. There is a high level of moisture in popcorn kernels and that means botulism could grow. Source
What kind of containers should I use to store my popcorn kernels?
The best results will come from using airtight containers. It helps the kernels keep their moisture content. You can use mylar bags without any oxygen absorbers, mason jars with quality lids, and plastic containers with airtight seals.
Some people like to store some of their popcorn kernels in the freezer. You need to try a test yourself, but many popcorn lovers say they pop better.
More to Check Out
- The Best Caramel Popcorn Ever
- What is Nutritional Yeast and How Do You Use It? (goes great on popcorn)
- What to Stock Up on for Winter
Final Word
As you can see, popcorn is a survival food that your family simply can’t afford to go without. Not only is it tasty, but it’s also a versatile snack that’s great to have on hand in case of an emergency! Popcorn is a great source of nutrition, incredibly affordable, and can offer many helpful uses if you ever find yourself in a pinch. What did you find interesting about popcorn and its uses? I’d love to hear from you! May God Bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Popcorn in Glass Bowl AdobeStock_245990313By New Africa
I found this article interesting but I am confused if popcorn being low moisture or high moisture. In the section asking if it’s good for long-term storage it says it has low moisture content and in the second asking if you can use oxygen absorbers its says it has high moisture.
Hi Loretta, that’s a great question. Popcorn is available in different sizes and quality. Moisture in the popcorn is needed to “pop” the popcorn. Some varieties have more moisture content than others. Some have low moisture. If the popcorn has too much moisture it may sprout, which isn’t good. Low-quality popcorn with less moisture will have more kernels burn because the hull has cracked. I hope this helps explain the low and high-moisture popcorn. Linda
Hey Linda, Got some in my ‘make shift’ pantry right now!!! You can also grind popcorn kernels into cornmeal with your food processor. It may take a while, but it’s a whole lot cheaper than buying cornmeal!!!
Hi Pamela, and it’s fresher!!!! Yay! I love homemade cornbread! Linda
Tis absolutely true! Fresh baked cornbread with butter and honey. . . YUUMMMY!!!
Hi Pamela, oh yeah!!!!! Linda
We store popcorn in Mylar. It can be used as feed if nothing else. I have grown corn plants from it but the drought killed them so I don’t know how well they ear.
It’s a good source of fiber which is often lacking in survival diets.
Hi Matt, it’s great to have popcorn for our families or some feed if needed for animals. Linda
Linda,
We have 50 pounds of popcorn, in small vacuum sealed bags in storage. While we don’t normally eat a lot of popcorn, we decided some time ago that, with its many possible uses, it was a good and inexpensive item to store.
Hi Harry, I love hearing you have 50 pounds stored in small vacuum-sealed bags. I opted for quart jars sealed with my FoodSaver. Years ago I taught classes at Honeyville Grain in Salt Lake City, Utah. I learned about Mushroom popcorn (size). The kernels are bigger and pop the best popcorn. Of course, with butter on it, it would always be yummy! Linda
I love popcorn but didn’t know about the shelf life. It’s usually used up well before the “expiry” date but now I’ll definitely buy in bulk. My favourite impulse snack, usually with nutritional yeast and without butter. I use a stovetop popcorn maker with a handle that turns a doodad inside that keeps the kernals moving, well worth the $5 I paid at the thrift shop. Good to know about making it into flour and not using oxygen absorbers. Always something useful to learn from you!
Hi Alice, oh my gosh, that’s my favorite type of stovetop popcorn popper!!! Bonus, you got it for $5.00!!! LOVE it! Yummy! Linda
We have one of those poppers. Years ago, I bought it to give to my husband for Christmas. My youngest was 2.5 years old. We wrapped it and put it under the tree. My youngest was so excited about it that when hubby came home, she went to greet him saying ”Daddy, Mommy bought you a popcorn popper and wrapped it to turn it into a gift.” So much for the surprise factor. We did get a great story out of it. She is a college senior now and get such a delightful red color when we tell it. Just wait until she has kids and I get to tell them about their mom.
We have a local farm that grows popcorn and can buy the kernels in gallon jugs. They also sell larger bags. I’ll have to buy more than we plan to use next time we go there.
HI Topaz, oh that’s the best story ever! It’s wrapped up to turn it into a gift!! I love this!! Linda
Several years ago, I had a lot of popcorn because my family ate a lot of popcorn. By the time we were nearly out, there were issues with the kernels popping. So I put the kernels in quart jars with a spritz of water and put the lid on. It only took a day or so for those kernels to be rehydrated and pop just like fresh. I only did enough to make popcorn for a couple of days though.
Hi Leanne, oh this is a game changer, why didn’t I think of that?? Oh my gosh, this is awesome! Thank you, Linda
here’s a laugh for you. Years ago my son and I bought 50 pounds of popcorn. We put it in a large container with several oxygen absorbers. Well a couple years later, the container collapsed. We had popcorn all over the floor in the storage area. We had no idea why this happened as we keep the room at 65-70 degrees year round.. Now I know, LOL Thank you for another great article. Love and God Bless.
Linda, I have popcorn I bought in #10 cans and now I wonder if they have oxy absorbers in them???
Hi Janet, I just pulled this off of Honeyville Grain, I quote” Shelf-Life: Yellow Popcorn will store for 10 to 15 years in a sealed #10 can (oxygen absorber included) under ideal storage conditions (cool, dry place).” There are so many conflicting stories out there about popcorn, here’s an interesting article about popcorn. No oxygen absorbers back then. All About Popcorn, USA Supply
Thank you Linda, l will read up on this!
FACT CHECK: There is no such thing as too much butter on popcorn!
Ordinary popcorn can be used for seed. I used to do a project with my school kids, who eventually went home with a cup of seedlings–just ordinary popcorn out of the bag, in fact I’d also pop some from the same bag for them! Almost every year, a previous year’s student would bring in an ear of popcorn they’d grown from their seedlings!
I love to put popcorn in tomato soup, instead of crackers or croutons. I’ve read that people used to use popcorn as cereal–just pour milk over it…
Hi Rhonda, oh I love your comment! I never thought to put popcorn in my soup! You are so right there is no such thing as too much butter on popcorn! Linda
Popcorn! I can never have enough of it…or too much butter at the theatre! (when we used to go, too expensive now) I buy white hull less popcorn from the Amish. It’s THE best! I hate picking those hulls out of my teeth. My hygienist always laughs at me when she finds some my floss didn’t. I have it stored in smaller bags but when I’ve got it in my pantry, it’s in a mason jar with a white screwtop lid (best invention ever). People think I’m weird but I pop my popcorn in bacon grease on the stovetop with one of those poppers that has a crank with the doodad that turns the thingy inside that keeps the popcorn from burning. Love that little device. I’ve been known to eat popcorn for dinner too. I know, my bad. But it’s sooo good!
Hi Robbie, oh my gosh in bacon? I need to try that, that sounds awesome!!! OH, those white screw-top lids are the best! I love popcorn! Linda
I bought a large container of popcorn from Costco and have been eating it for years. I decided I should look and see if popcorn had an expiration date and it does. It expired in 2013!
Hi Dawn, this is the best comment ever! It expired ten years ago, so much for expiration dates! LOL! I love this! Linda
Hi Linda:
We eat a lot of popcorn. I take and buy what I think will last us for a while and many times it’s gone i n 2 weeks and I thought it would last the month. It drives me crazy. ‘
On another subject I got 24 Cans of spam for $12.00 at Smiths a couple weeks ago. They had a case lot sale and I bought Campbell’s Cream of mushroom soup and Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup for a good deal. We bought a lot of things on the case lot sale.
Hi Jackie, oh I love those case lot sales!!! Squeal! I was going to buy a case of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken and Tomato, but I will have to wait until the nest sale. Linda